Discovered Secrets
by neeme88
Summary: Everyone in the S.P.R. team has a secret. Each has a past that will always follow and hinder them. All it takes for them to start confessing is one case. A case that will have them question their reason for not voicing their secrets.
1. Chapter 1 Baby Blues part1

**a/n: this is my first story I hope it turns out well or at least readable**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt….tears;**

3rd P.O.V.:

The soft singing of a woman could be heard throughout the Handa Mansion. It was filled with sadness and sorrow, but if you listened closely it was also filled with madness.

_Hush little baby…..don't say a word,_

_Or daddy's going to find you….. If he does.._

_He'll know I took you….. Ha-ha. I took you, but I'm not giving you back. No, ha I'm never giving you _

_Back, he has to suffer. Him and your mother have to suffer I'll make sure of that hmm…_

_Hush little baby don't say a word…_

_Mommy's going to buy you …_

_A mocking bird if that mocking bird doesn't sing…._

_Mommy's going to buy you a diamond ring….._

This disembodied voice had been singing for two months now, and the employees of the Handa Mansion were now becoming worried for their sanity and lives. In fact some had even begun to quit their jobs or refuse to go back into the mansion, which in turn caused them to lose their jobs. The only people that did not leave or quit were those that depended on his or her job at the Handa mansion to keep them from being thrown out in to the streets with no where to go.

Although there were still a few employees left, the head of staff decided that enough was enough. They needed to get rid of whatever was haunting the mansion and they needed to do it quickly because whatever was causing this had already almost caused a tragic death to occur.

Once Handa Takumi, the owner, was in formed that one of his estates was being terrorized by something that couldn't be explained he quickly brushed it aside. Takumi was a busy man and he didn't have time to be listening to the nonsense that some of his employees came up with.

Takumi ignored this until he unexpectedly spent a whole week there. By the end of the week, though, Mr. Handa watched one of his maids being scratched and dragged across nearly the entire mansion by something that could not be seen, and he also heard the soft tunes of the disembodied voice.

After that week Mr. Handa decided to search for immediate help, and he vowed never to go back in the mansion until whatever haunted his mansion was gone.

**a/n: It was a short chapter and that kills me really but I promise the next will be longer ;)**


	2. Chapter 2 Baby Blues part2

Chapter 2 

Friday

March was already here, and the cherry blossom trees were already starting to bloom. My only wish was to be outside in a quiet park enjoying them. Unfortunately, I couldn't fulfill my wish at the moment. Instead I was here, at the Shibuya Psychic Research facility listening to Lin-san typing away in his office, and Naru flipping through cases files, also in his office.

I was already finished with the stack of files Naru had given me to alphabetize, my job was done. Sadly though, Naru doesn't ever let me clock out early. Speaking of which, Naru has been acting strange lately, so has Lin-san.

I'm worried about them but every time I ask them about their unusual behavior they just brush me or and ignore me. It hurts when they do that because over the past year they, along with the rest of the crew, have become my family. The family I never had, and could only long for.

No matter how stoic or harsh Naru and Lin could be I still cared for them even if they saw me as just a stupid, annoying, immature teenager. This thought made me depressed and I could almost feel tears gathering in my eyes, but I held them down by watching the clock on the wall, opposite to me.

I stared at the clock for five minutes before getting out of my seat and going to the kitchen to make Naru his tea that he would be wanting about now.

I was right, too because just as I had finished filling three cups with jasmine tea, I heard Naru call out from his office, "Mai, tea."

I sighed before slowly walking to his office. I mean really could he at least say please, or maybe be less demanding?

When I reached Naru's office I knocked on his door and went in.

"Here's your tea, Naru," I pleasantly said to him. He looked at me with a blank expression before replying,

"For future reference, when you knock on someone's office door wait for them to give you permission to enter instead of just barging in."

I quickly set down the tea he had requested on his desk and then passionately replied, "I didn't just 'barge' in. I calmly walked in to give you your tea because you **did** call for it. Anyway who besides Lin or me is going to knock at your door?"

Instead of giving me a smart retort Naru went back to looking at his documents. Great I thought to my self the one thing that I was about to cry over minutes ago, being ignored.

I tried getting Naru's attention by waving one of my hands furiously in front of his face, but instead of getting some form of reaction, that would make me feel like I existed, he just turned away and continued to ignore me.

That's it I couldn't take it anymore. I was about to snap, and in less then two seconds I did.

"NARU, I'M SO SICK OF THIS! YOU AND LIN HAVE BBEN IGNORING MY PRESENCE FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND I HATE IT! LOOK, AT LEAST BE MAD AT ME, OR YELL AT ME, HELL SCOLD ME, BUT PLEASE don't push me out like this. Please. _I've never liked this feeling of loneliness and helplessness."_

My voice was loud and strong at first, but by the end of my rant it became weak and barely above a whisper. Also, I hadn't even noticed that I let a tear escape until I felt something wet sliding down my cheek and down to my shirt. When I did realize this thought I mentally slapped myself for letting Naru find out my weakness, and letting him see me so vulnerable.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't see that Naru had gotten up out of his seat and was now standing directly in front of me.

I could tell he was going to say something important, but I didn't want to find out what it was. So instead of standing there like a lost puppy I quickly walked towards the door and pushed my way out. Sadly luck was never on my side, and I bumped directly into Lin, whom had apparently heard my hysterical speech.

For some reason though instead of apologizing a million times like I would usually do in this sort of situation I sped past him and out the front door. The only thing I told them was, "I'll be back I just need some air.

Once I was out of the small almost hidden business my feet came to a stop and my body just dropped to sit wherever I was, which happened to be the stairs that you had to take to go up to the Shibuya Psychic Research facility.

While I was on the stairs I didn't cry, nor scream, I didn't even frown. I just sat there looking blankly at the people that where passing by. Some people where smiling as they quietly walked by, others had children that they were joking around with, and some were just hanging out with their friends. I spent about nine minutes looking at the passer byes and by the tenth minute there was a small peaceful smile on my face. Watching everyone being merry and seem to not have a care in the world made me happy, not for me, but for them. I was about to get up and head back to my job when I was stopped by a woman's voice.

"Excuse me young lady do you happen to know where the Shibuya Psychic Research business is?"

I looked around unit I found the woman that was seeking my help. The woman looked like she was in her late thirties, maybe early forties, but who was counting? Although she seemed a bit old she still looked elegantly dressed and very kindhearted, but that was just my intuition. What really caught my attention about this woman, though, were her eyes. They looked wary and frightened.

"Yes, I actually work there, ma'am. Follow me. I'll show you where it is," I answered her with a bit of cheerfulness in my voice.

When we got to the small facility I called out, "Naru, Lin-san I'm back. There is also a customer here to see you."

I could here shuffling noises coming from their offices meaning they would be out in less then a few seconds.

"Wait here while I go make some tea. They'll be with you shortly," I told the woman. She just smiled slightly and nodded her head.

From the kitchen I could here her ask if Naru was the boss. I giggled at that. I guess some things never would change.

I quickly finished pouring some green tea into three cups so I could make it in time to listen to the woman's story.

When I came out of the kitchen, I made my way over to the woman and gave her a cup of tea, which she gratefully took and sipped. Then I went over to Naru and gave him one of the tea filled cups. He took the cup from me but not before giving me a look that clearly said, 'we'll talk about your outbreak later.'

I pretended not to notice and went over to Lin to give him the last cup of tea. He also gave me a look, but his was more one that said, 'Is your sanity okay? I sweat dropped at that.

After everyone was focused and situated the woman began her story.

"I work for a man named Handa, Takumi. I'm the head of staff for one of his estates. The reason I've come here today is because for the past few months strange things have been occurring," she paused and looked at us with worry in her eyes. I just gave her a smile and a small nod beckoning her to continue. She gave me a thankful look and continued.

"For example all the employees and I always here a woman singing a lullaby, but in the song she confesses to kidnapping someone's baby. At first we thought that one of our staff was doing this but we soon came to realize that it wasn't. Also, there have been times when we've heard the same voice shrieking in agony, it seems. What terrifies me is that the shrieks and singing seem to be everywhere at the same time, or they seem to be near me and then later on the other side of the mansion!"

I could see that Naru seemed to be interested in her story so it was just a matter of time before he accepted it. Lin-san, too, was also curious about this case. Heck even I was. I wanted to know what had happened there. I wanted to know why this spirit was troubled so much.

I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard Naru ask the woman a question.

"Ma'am has this entity ever gotten physical? If so what has it done?"

The woman seemed a bit reluctant to tell him she nodded her head yes and began to explain the events."Well you see Mr. Handa didn't believe us when we told him the first time about these strange occurrences. That was until a few weeks ago when he himself saw one of our maids being dragged through the corridors of the mansion. That I believe was the first time anything like that had happened. After that the entity became restless because we've already had at least five people being pushed from the stairs or in one case one of the balconies. Please Mr. Shibuya help us. Some of the people that are currently working at the mansion haven't left because they depend on this job to feed their families. Please help us."

Naru nodded and replied, "We will take the case. Please prepare three rooms for us. First, with the lowest activity and a lot or plugs, this will be our base. The other two will be our bedrooms. Please prepare one for the men and another for the women."

The woman stood up and smiled a smile of relief and gratitude before joyfully saying, "Thank you Mr. Shibuya. Thank you! I'll have those rooms prepared for you, and how many women and men are going to be staying?"

"There will be three women, and five men. Also leave your name and the address of the mansion with my assistant," Naru said signaling to me. With that both Naru and Lin went back into their nests, I mean offices.

Once the woman and I were left alone, I gave her a piece of paper and told her to write down her full name and the address of the mansion. The woman joyfully complied and then said her goodbyes. I walked the woman out and watched her leave. She seemed happier now that she new we were going to help her, and the rest of Mr. Handa's employees.

As I closed the door and walked back to my desk I looked down at the piece of paper the woman had filled out. Her name was Matano, Riko. What a special name I thought. Riko….

I use to know a girl named Riko. She was such a smart and sweet child, but she disappeared over three years ago only to be found dead beneath her very own house, killed at the hands of her aunt.

As soon as I remembered the past I quickly went to the phone and started calling the whole team telling them that there was a case tomorrow and that they should start packing up. While I was making those calls, though, I tucked away the memory of Riko deep within my mind and locking them there along with the rest of my past's memories.

**a/n: okay well that's all for chapter 2. Hopefully this chapter will delight some people! Oh and please review and tell me if you liked the story or not. Also tell me if I've made any mistakes or errors so far. =] **


	3. Chapter 3 Baby Blues part3

Chapter 3

Saturday

Before going to the Handa Mansion we all met up near the front of S.P.R. so we could find out who was catching a ride with whom. Monk, Ayako, John, and I all rode in Ayako's car, while Lin-san, Naru, Masako, and Yasuhara rode in the van.

Although I like to hang out with Ayako, Monk, and John, I wanted to ride in the van, just so I could keep a vigilant eye on Masako. She would still take any opportunity to get 'closer' to Naru. Unfortunately, as always, luck wasn't on my side, I woke up late and the only comfortable seat was in Ayako's car.

"Hey, Mai, you've been pretty quiet all morning. What's wrong kid?" Monk asked in a brotherly tone. Before I could answer though, Ayako slapped him on the head.

"Monk, keep your eyes on the road, and cant you see that Mai's tired? I mean look at her eyes. They have dark circles under them. Naru's probably been overworking her!" exclaimed Ayako. I didn't want them to think that Naru was some cruel tyrant that ordered me around all the time so I told them the truth,

"Heh-heh , actually I just can't seem to fall asleep as quickly as I use to at night anymore."

John decided to join our conversation by asking, "Mai, just how many hours did you sleep last night?"

I looked at John knowing he wouldn't like the answer, but I had already told them all so many lies. One more lie would make me feel immensely guilty, no matter how small it was. I sighed before weakly answering, "I only slept about an hour, at most."

I heard Ayako gasp before asking, "I've seen you like this for a while, but exactly how many days has this been going on for?"

I frowned 'how long has this been going on for?' I asked my self. I noticed that I started having difficulties sleeping after we had all solved the last case Naru had accepted, but that was two months ago. This fact shocked me. I didn't even know my insomnia had been going on for this long. I was pulled out of my thoughts by Monk's voice calling out to me.

"Mai?"

"Huh? Oh sorry, um, well this started about two moths ago," I said shyly. I heard all three gasp. I wanted to tell them not to worry and that everything was just fine, but I couldn't say that. I couldn't tell them something even I couldn't believe. Something like this had happened in the past, but after half a year I had fainted from extreme fatigue. I woke up after three days, but my body and mind, for some reason, had trouble functioning properly. Sometimes walking became a difficult task and sometime I forgot where I was.

Instead of saying I would be fine or telling something like this had happened in the past I decided to stay quiet. My guess is that they too were also out of words to say about this topic because they all went back to being silent. It was either that or they had already made up their minds about telling Naru of my current situation whenever we arrived at the Handa Mansion. If that's what they were planning then luck really didn't know my name. Yesterday after Mrs. Riko left Lin-san told Naru to close S.P.R. early so we could all go pack for our new case, so naturally whatever Naru had to say regarding my out break would have to wait until tomorrow. Unfortunately today was tomorrow and if Ayako, John, or Monk told him about my sleeping issues, Naru would seriously be on my case.

After a long quiet half hour Monk turned on the radio and started singing along with it, until Ayako hit his stomach and told him to shut up because she was trying to get her beauty sleep. Monk burst out laughing and told her that it was far too late to save her face from looking old. John and I both laughed softly at the comment Monk had made, while Ayako mumbled profanities under her breath before she continued with her beauty sleep.

We arrived at the Handa Mansion after three long hours of being cooped up in a car, or in the others case a van. When we all saw the mansion we all stared at it in amazement, well except Naru and Lin-san. I my opinion the mansion was beautiful. The architecture of the mansion was a mix between gothic and a Japanese culture based influences. On top of that the mansion was at least four stories tall. What amazed me the most though, was that some of its windows and entrance doors. They were all made of stained glass, and they had beautiful designs of roses and cherry blossoms. Each design was different from one another and each design seemed unique. It took my breath away, but this place reminded me more of a church than a place where someone would live in.

"Hello Mr. Shibuya I'm glad you could all make it," said a familiar voice. I turned to the person who had spoken and saw Mrs. Riko.

"Welcome to the Handa Mansion. Mr. Handa would like me to express his sincere apologize for not being here, but he won't come back until this situation is fixed," she said.

Naru nodded and said, "I understand. This," he motioned to us, "is the entire S.P.R. team. Miss Taniyama Mai and Kojo Lin, you have already met. They are my assistants. Matsuzaki Ayako is our priestess. Hara Masako is our medium. Takigawa is our monk. John Brown is our exorcist, and Yasuhara Osamu is our researcher. We will all do our best to solve your problem, Mrs. Riko."

Mrs. Riko bowed and replied, "It's nice to formally meet you all. We are all very thankful that you were able to come to our aid."

We all smiled and bowed back at her, except Naru and Lin-san. Once we were all done with the introductions and pleasantries, Mrs. Riko took us inside the mansion and started to show us around.

After the tour Naru ordered Monk, Yasuhara and I to unload everything out of the van, while the he and the other explored the mansion looking for the entity that was troubling the mansion.

While I was setting up some of the equipment I heard Monk's voice on my walkie-talkie, "So Mai watcha think about this place?"

I stayed quiet before answering into the walkie-talkie, "Well, at first I thought that it was amazing. I thought it was breathtaking, we went in I felt so overwhelmed. It was like I was standing in a pit of deadly snakes."

"Yea, you felt that, too? I had the same feeling but I had a sudden feeling of guilt, like when a small child's just been caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. Weird, right?" I heard Monk say in an uncertain tone. I was a bit surprised when I he said that he felt guilt because I had the same feeling, except it was more extreme than what he described.

After a while of trying to figure out why Monk and I felt a bit unsure about being here, I picked up my walkie-talkie so I could get Yasuhara or Monk.

"Hey Monk, Yasuhara, where are you guys?"

I waited a moment so they could answer, but they did not. 'Maybe they didn't hear me,' I thought, so I tried again, "Monk? Yasuhara? Where are you guys? I'm lost and I don't know where I am. Are you guys there?"

Like before I received nothing but silence. 'Great,' I said to myself, I was lost inside an enormous mansion with no clue where to go. I looked around to see if a maid was near. It was then that I was hit with the sad fact that all of the servants and maids left early so we could work. Even Mrs. Riko had left. I tried not to feel panicked, but the long never ending corridors in front and to the sides of me made feel frantic. After a while a started to walk left, but I was stopped when I heard a soft feminine voice say, "That's not the right way back."

I quickly stopped and turned around to see who had spoken, but I found no one.

"Who's there?" I asked with a warning tone. No one answered. Was it a spirit? Had my lost gift come back to me? Was my past coming back to haunt me? Was someone pulling a sick joke on me? So many questions raced through my head until I heard a loud shriek coming from the corridor behind me, the corridor I was stopped from walking into.

"Quickly, you have to get of here. Hurry, run!" said the same voice from before. Instead of questioning the reason why I should run I listened to the voice and my instinct and ran away from the shrieks. While I ran though, I kept on hearing the shrieks behind me, and they seemed to be getting closer. Even though I wanted to see what I was running from my heart told me to forget about that and focus on finding a way out from this place.

As if my thoughts had been heard, I heard the same voice from earlier say, "Keep running until you see a red door with a white blossom painted on it. Hurry she's catching up!" I gave a quick nod and sped up my pace until I found the red door that the voice had talked about. I quickly ran to it a closed it behind me. As soon as I closed the door the shrieks stopped. I breathed out a sigh of relief and turned to see where I was. I found, with no surprise, that I was in a bedroom. I was about to explore the room when I noticed something that slightly unnerved me. It was quiet. There was an eerie silence that made my heart start pounding against my chest. Something bad was going to happen. As soon as that thought entered my head the shrieks became roars and the door was harshly banged on. Whatever was doing this wanted to get in. I quickly looked around to see if there was any thing I could put against or in front of the door so it would stall the entity. The only useful thing I could mange to find was a chair. I quickly leaned it against the door and backed away. The banging at the door grew louder and stronger and the terrifying roars continued, nonstop. I looked to see if there was a hiding place, but it was then that I remembered that it was something not of this world I was trying to getaway from not a human. What I needed was to find an exit not a hiding place. I started to go into a panic attack until I saw a window I could maybe climb out from.

I quickly ran over to the window and opened it. I felt extremely relieved when I looked down and saw a pool I could jump into. Sadly I was on the third floor of the mansion. I would have to kick off the ledge of the window to land in the water. For some reason, at the moment, this fact seemed to freak me out more than that of possibly being killed by a malicious entity.

"You have to jump! It's your only chance of escaping this. You're not going to die; the will to live is strong in you. You won't let yourself die. Jump, jump now," exclaimed the voice that had been helping me ever since I got lost.

When I heard a crack at the door I knew I had to jump. I took a deep breath in and leaped into a dive. At the same time I jumped I could hear that the door had also been violently opened. As I jumped I could also hear the roars turn into a menacing hiss as the entity discovered I had escaped.

Thankful I had managed to avoid the edge of the pool and shallow end, too. Although I did take in a mouthful of water I still made it to the surface of the water successfully. I greedily took in huge breaths of air.

Once I was able to breathe properly again I looked up to see the window where I had jumped from. What I saw though made my eyes widen slightly. Instead of an empty window I saw a beautiful woman with brunette hair that flowed around her, and hazel eyes that looked at me with a threatening, evil glare.

"Taniyama-san! Taniyama-san are you alright?" shouted a voice to the far right of me. Although I could hear who ever was calling out to me, I was too transfixed by the woman glaring at me. After a few seconds of staring at each other, the woman started to fade until she had completely disappeared.

I was brought back to reality by Masako's and Ayako's shouts. I turned to where I heard them and saw that the whole S.P.R. team was there. I also saw that Lin-san and Monk had jumped in the water and were now heading towards me. Even though I was conscious to everything that was happening around me, my mind blocked it all out and tried to process everything that had just occurred.

"Mai, what were you thinking?" Naru hissed out at me when we had gotten back to base. Everyone was out checking up on the equipment, or in Monk's and Lin-san's case finding dry clothes, which reminded me I had yet to change into warmer dryer clothing.

"Are you crazy? Just what the hell goes on through your head?" yelled Naru. I knew the wisest thing to do in my current situation was to tell him he was right or something, but then again I was too fond of being impulsive.

"My problem? Naru I already told you all what happened! Something was after me! I was in danger, it wanted to hurt, no probably kill me! What else was I suppose to do? And don't you dare call me crazy; you don't know what crazy really is." I yelled back at Naru. Although I felt better after yelling at him, I had hinted that I had lost my mind once. Through his eyes I could see that he was questioning and analyzing my response.

"Hmm, well just know that you can't ever be alone in this place anymore. Make sure to have two people with you wherever you go. Also about you theatrics in my office the other day" I flinched he did remember, "I would like to say… I'm sor-… I'm sorry, Mai."

'Shoot,' I thought know he thinks I'm crazy and he'll try to figure…. Wait what? He said sorry? The stoic, rude, I'm-all-that-that Naru said sorry!

"Hey Naru….. Are you possessed?" I said in shock. Naru raised an eyebrow and chuckled. This made my eyes widen a bit. 'He's laughing!' I thought in shock. When he caught me staring he glared at me and began to read a book he had in his hands.

Once Naru was done talking to me I went to my suitcase and began looking for dry clothes. While I searched my bag though, I kept on hearing Naru's apology in my head. I was still shocked that Naru had apologized to me. After a few minutes though, a small smile could be seen on my face.

**a/n: So what do think? ;] from a 1-10 what do you give this story so far? ;)**


	4. Chapter 4 Baby Blues part4

**A/n: sorry this chapter took so long but I fell ill, need time to rest, missed school, and then had to battle grades and LOTS of make up work, and then sadly I began to neglect this story =( sorry;]**

**Disclaimer: I sadly don't own ghost hunt =]**

Chapter4

Sunday

Last night, after Naru's apology, a question popped into my head. '_Why didn't Monk or Yasuhara hear me when I was calling for them?' _Naru, apparently, also had some questions of his own because he called us all down to base, to thoroughly discuss everyone's experience in the mansion so far. For some reason my intuition told me that everyone was hiding something because they all became a bit tense when talking. Although I knew something was wrong or off, I didn't pry.

In the end it was known that no one had experienced anything such as I had, which left me thinking, 'Why is it always me?,' and to answer my question, Monk and Yasu said they had never heard me because I had supposedly never talked. That meant that the spirit had tampered with the signal.

Also, another thing I found strange was when Naru asked Masako how many spirits she sensed, she said that there was only one entity in the mansion. I didn't understand this because; to me there was two different entities, the one that had helped me and the one whom had chased me.

Of course there was a slight possibility that I could have been tricked, by the true spirit, into thinking that there were two entities in the mansion when in fact there was only one. At the same time there was also a slight possibility that Masako could have been wrong in her ruling. Which was it, though?

Right as I was about to over think the events that had occurred yesterday; I heard a loud snore coming from my right. I turned to see who was the lucky person sleeping so blissfully, but what I saw made me pout in envy.

Masako was tightly hugging her pillow and murmuring unconsciously, while Ayako was spread out on her bed snoring like there was no tomorrow.

I sighed and turned back to stare at the ceiling. It was probably about four-thirty in the morning and I had yet to fall asleep.

I had already tried to close my eyes and attempt to drift slowly into a light sleep, but it obviously didn't work. After that I had tried to count to one hundred, but instead I ended up counting to two hundred.

I was about to close my eyes so I could at least attempt, once again, to get some rest, but I heard a soft chime sound coming from my left. I turned to see who, or what, made such a sound but I found nothing, and no one. I pursed my lips and brought the bed covers to my chest. For the next few minutes I stayed on guard, looking for anything abnormal.

After a while of not seeing anything out of place, I decided to relax, but as soon as did I felt a slight clod pressure on my hand. I looked down to see what was causing me such discomfort, and what I saw was a slender pale hand on my own. I had to use my other had to muffle my shriek of fright because I didn't want to alarm Ayako or Masako. Although I wanted to see who the owner of the hand was, I didn't, in fear of coming across the face of the vengeful ghost from earlier.

"I apologize for frightening you, but I need to speak with you." said the owner of the hand that was currently atop of my own.

"I can't. I don't know if I can trust you…Only one spirit was sensed, not two," I replied gingerly.

"I swear that I am not _her_. I have proof, but I need to talk to you. I need to show you the truth…You're the only one that's ever been able to hear, even see, me since that night," said the voice.

My mind was telling me to just stay in bed and not risk my safety, but my heart was telling me the opposite. I stayed in bed for a few minutes before giving out a long sigh.

"I'm going to regret never listening to my head one day. Oh well, fine I'll go with you, but I can't be with you for long Ayako and Masako are going to wake up soon," I whispered to the voice.

Since I was going to be following this entity, God knows where, I willed myself to look at the spirit's face. What I saw, though, awed, confused, and relieved me. The spirit that was standing above me was a beautiful angel like woman. She had sun kissed curly hair, and forest green gentle eyes.

She smiled at me and motioned for me to follow her.

I took a deep breath before slipping out from under my bed covers. The woman began to walk towards the door but was stopped when I whispered loudly, "Wait! Naru's set up cameras everywhere. What if he sees us, well he might not see you, but me, me he will definitely see!"

The woman turned around and said, "I know where all of them are, and you're right we would get caught if we walked through the corridors. Yet it seems no one of this time knows that there are secret passage ways that where used long ago. They are scattered through out the mansion. In fact there is one right across from this room. Trust me it's safe. _She _doesn't even know they exist, so you'll be safe."

I nodded and she began to proceed with her earlier rout. Once we were out of the room I looked around and asked, "Where exactly is the passage way?"

The woman pointed to a painting, of a man waltzing around with a woman that was right in front of us.

I went over to the painting and pushed it aside to see if there was anything behind it; there wasn't. I turned to the woman and gave her a confused stare

"You have to pull on the candle holder. It's right there," she said as she pointed to the right of me. I gave a small nod and did as she asked. Right as I pulled the candle holder I heard a slight click, and then I heard the sound of boulders being slid across cement.

I moved the picture once again, and this time instead of an unmovable wall I found an empty dark passageway. The woman glided past me and told me to follow her; I did.

While we were moving through the long narrow passageways that turned left and right , I was suddenly conscious of how the surface I was walking on was. I looked down to see my feet, but because it was too dark all I could see was their outline.

The woman stopped and turned back around to talk to me. "We're here. Push in that brick that's sticking out," she said while she pointed to the right of us. I nodded and once again did as was asked of me.

The wall that was in front of us and was no longer an obstacle.

I stepped out from the passageway and found that we were outside of the mansion. I looked over to the woman waiting to receive instructions on where to go from here. She motioned for me to follow her, and, once again, I did. As we walked to our destination I enjoyed the feel of the moist grass against my bare feet, and the cool morning breeze against my being. Also, as we walked, I noticed that although the sun was yet to rise the day was no longer dark, it was grayish blue. Everyone would be waking up soon. All I can hope for is for them not to worry too much.

The woman ended up taking me to a small pond that was located a few minutes from the mansion. Instead of saying what she claimed earlier to be important to me, she stood beside me; eyes transfixed on the pond. The way she looked at the pond made me feel sad. Her gaze head a look of sadness, longing, and sorrow.

I looked at the pond, to see if I could understand what she was thinking; I couldn't. when I looked at the pond all I could see was a dark pool of navy blue water, and the only feeling I gained from staring at it was calmness.

"You're the only one that can see me. Why?" the woman asked as she broke the heavy silence. I looked over to her, and saw that she was still staring intently at the pond.

"I don't know," I told her softly. She turned to me quickly and harshly said, "If you want to survive in this mansion you've got to stop lying to your friends, and yourself."

"What do you mean?" I asked her with caution. The woman sighed and said, "I mean secrets are what draws _her_ attention. That's why you were so harshly attacked. When you and your friends first stepped foot in that house; we saw. We both saw all the secrets you all carried. Each one of you have things you don't want to tell each other. You all fear each other's rejection, but you most of all. You're the one that caught our attention the most. Why? Because you consider yourself to be a monster, and you have built your own web of lies that has already start to slowly consume you. You already know why you can see me, Mai. The gift that you once thought was lost was never really lost, was it?"

My eyes widened. How did she know?

The woman chuckled, "Your friends and you are amusing. Each is afraid of rejection and accepting reality, you all feel a need to hide what hiders you all from each other. Not because you can't trust one another but because you all are so use to lying you just can't seem to stop. Oh well, one day one of you guys will take the first step and finally reveal what keeps you up at night. Tell me, Mai, why do you have such difficulty accepting past events?" I frowned as the door in my mind, that I kept tightly shut and that contained all the things I would like to keep buried, was unlocked.

"Stop just stop, please," I managed to gasp out at the woman.

I wanted to run, or at least scream to my hearts satisfaction, but I couldn't not with so many memories rushing into my head. As I remembered each memory clearly, I felt like I was being suffocated. After a while the memories stopped; there were no more in that door that was opened; they had all come out. Although there were no more memories to remember my disturbance did end there.

In my mind I was no longer standing close to a beautiful spirit that was trying to warn me. I was now standing in front of myself, a younger self.

Instead of having a fake sad smile, that I was accustomed to caring around her age, she had sick twisted smirk, and instead of having sad hopeful eyes she had a look of evil and insanity. She had the look of a murderer.

"No!" I whispered loudly.

Just as I uttered that everything went back to normal. I was no longer trapped in my mind. I was back, next to the ghost that had brought me here, but instead of standing I was on my knees.

"I'm sorry. I truly am. I didn't mean for you to remember something so painful. I'm sorry," said the woman with a remorseful tone.

I tried to answer her but my voice wouldn't come out, so instead I nodded and tried to calm my racing heart.

After a while I broke the silence that loomed over us by asking, "You seem to know your dead, and you seem to have no one you need to talk to, seeing as you probably died long ago. Why haven't you moved on?…..Who are you?"

The woman stared at me for a long time, and I could see in her eyes that she was looking for the right words.

Finally after a some time she began, "My name is Chloe. I was brought from London to this land by my mother. See she was a prostitute over there and she felt like she need to start anew for me, but she wanted a fresh start in another country. For some reason she picked Japan. I don't know why, though; she didn't know the language and she had no one here. Mama struggled to find work here, but in the end she did. Although the job paid very little to live on, something was something. One day she and the Madam of this mansion met. I guess it was because they were both women who were hit hard by life, maybe that's why they felt close to one other. Anyway the Madam offered mama a job as her personal maid, she even said that food and lodging was provided. Mama was about to turn it down because she didn't think that having me around while she worked would be acceptable. The Madam said that it was fine and that it would be no bother at all. She said I could be her son's play mate, seeing as he was only one year older. Mama and I were so thankful to this woman because we would no longer have to starve or suffer to pay the rent."

Chloe stopped talking for a while and turned her back to me. I thought that maybe she didn't want to talk to me anymore, but when I heard soft sobbing I new that she didn't want for me to see her cry.

"Chloe, you don't have to tell me anything else if it's to painful for you," I told her. I saw her take a deep breath and shake her head. She turned back to me and continued, "the Madam proved to be very kind and loving. She would always make sure that we were never uncomfortable. Instead of treating us like servants she treated us like family. Anyway, I told you before that the Madam told my mother that I could be her son's playmate. Instead of just playmates we became best of friends. In fact we became almost inseparable. For awhile everything was great and we were happy, but then tragedy struck. When I was nine mama died. She died and left me all alone. Well at least I thought I was alone, but the Madam and young master consoled me. They gave me hope and I found solitude in them.

As time progressed the young master and I realized that we had fallen in love with each other. The Madam approved of this relationship and we were free to love. Now you may be thinking where did this all go wrong. Well Mai, it went wrong from the beginning. Although the Madam approved the young master's grandparents did not, and in those days the elders of the family had more power. Since the beginning of the relationship they tried to rip us apart, but we would always overcome whatever they threw at us. That was until they threatened to end his mother's life and mine if he did not marry the bride they had chosen for him. We never thought they would go that far, but we were wrong. The Madam and I were poisoned with an unknown poison. To get the antidote my love had to promise on his life and his mother's that he would give me up and marry the woman they had chosen.

Within two months his engagement to a woman named Kato, Amaya was announced. To hear this, as you can imagine, broke my heart and I lost all hope of ever being with him again. The Madam would always console me because she knew that what they had done to us was unforgivable.

Then three months after the two months both my love and Amaya were married. I sunk into a deep depression the day of their wedding, only to be pulled out of it by my love a day after. He confessed that he had had to consummate the marriage and he also confessed that his heart could not let me go. I felt mad that he had touched Amaya and had taken her, but I knew that his grandparents had pressured him in even this subject too. As a woman you should understand how I felt then. I felt betrayed, but my need to make him mine and erase the other woman's presence. That night we made each other ours, and we made love.

After that night my love would always sneak away to come see me and we would act as if he had never gotten married and no one had ever tried to break us apart. There was a slight problem though Amaya had successfully gotten pregnant on her wedding night, and I had successfully gotten pregnant the night my love and I first made love.

Our children were born on the same day but hers did not survive. He had problems breathing, and he died within two days. He died on March 21st, and I believe she had named him Haru.

My child on the other hand was no a playful boy; it was a lovely playful girl. I named her Aleen."

Chloe began to tremble before letting out a small sorrowful cry.

I widened my eyes at this. It didn't take much for me to make connections and figure out that Amaya was the vengeful ghost, and that the child she kidnapped was Chloe's daughter.

"Chloe she…..," I began to say but was cut short when I heard voices hollering my name.

"I'm sorry I caused you to worry your friends. I lost track of time. Please tell your friends of me; it's better that way. I hope that you all may be able to solve this case and come out of it alive."

"Mai! Where are you? Mai!" I heard my friends continuously shouting. I didn't want to worry them any longer so I quickly ran to where they were.

Masako was the first to spot me; from a distance I could she that she motioned for everyone to look my way. When they all turned their faces in my direction I felt guilty. The looks on their faces mirrored those of worry, terror, and relief. They made me feel guilty for even stepping out of bed.

Ayako and Masako were the first ones to reach me, seeing as they both took action when they saw me. I expected them to start scolding me or go into a fit of hysterics, but instead both grabbed me and enveloped me in a warm embrace.

Although I was still feeling guilty about them worrying enough to form a small search party for me I enjoyed having people who cared for me, so instead of pulling away I returned the warm embrace.

While we were all hugging I heard the gang come to the spot where we were at. I didn't look up to see them though, I was too caught up in a memorable moment.

After we had all established the fact that I was alright and that no harm had come to me I began to explain the reason of my disappearance.

"Masako was right. There is a vengeful spirit in the house, but she was wrong about there being only one spirit. The vengeful spirit's name is Kato, Amaya, and the other spirits name is Chloe. It is my belief that because Amaya's anger and hate is so strong she was able to block out Chloe's presence."

"But Mai-san, how are you so sure that Chloe and Amaya are not the same spirit?" John asked curiously.

I turned to him and said, "They don't look the same, and because Chloe told me the her story and I believe her with all my heart."

I saw them all nod a bit before Yasuhara said, "If you trust her then we'll trust you on that, but what exactly did Chloe tell you?"

I smiled in gratitude at the comment Yasu made about trusting my instinct before replying, "Well her story is pretty long, so I'll give you the important details. Chloe came here with her mom to start a better life and once here they met the Madam of this house. She was kind to them, and she gave them a home, basically. Chloe's mom died and the Madam began to raise her. Years later she and the Madam's son fell in love, but the young master's grandparents opposed the union. The Madam, although in favor of their love, was powerless against the grandparents and in the end Chloe and her lover were separated by force. Then the young master married Amaya, the bride selected by the grandparents, and on their wedding night ends up impregnating her. A day after, the young master can no longer fool his heart and goes to see Chloe. He confesses that he and Amaya had sex, and for some reason Chloe and him made love that night. That night Chloe was also impregnated. Nine moths later both children are born on the same night, but Amaya's baby died two days later from lung failure. This has also led me to believe that Amaya took Chloe's baby and that's the child she sings about in her lullaby."

Everyone looked at me in shock and realization.

"Alright we will all head back to base, once there I want both Yasuhara and Lin to start researching the names Mai has discovered. Takigawa, Matsuzaki-san, John get prepared for an exorcism. Hara-san you and Mai will watch the screens together and find the location of Amaya. Am I clear?" Naru ordered in a commanding strict tone.

"Hai!" We all replied.

"Let's head back."

"Hai!"

As we all started to walk back I heard Naru say, "Mai stay for a minute there's something I would like to discuss with you."

I inwardly groaned because his tone sounded serious, meaning he was probably going to ask me something that would throw me off guard. I trudged over to him until I was at arms distance from him and said, "Yes, Naru?"

He looked at me with calculating observant eyes as he responded, "How is it that Hara-san hasn't even sensed Chloe once, but you have seen and spoken to her?"

'Damn,' I thought.

I knew that he was observing my reaction so I put a confused look on my face, and made sure to not show any signs of shock or acknowledgement in my eyes.

"I really have no clue why. Maybe she has the gift to hide herself," I told Naru hoping he would accept my explanation.

Naru's face remained void of any emotions so I couldn't tell whether or not he believed me. After a while, he simply nodded and began to walk away.

Instead of being relieved that he did not pressure any more questions on me and had left, I felt like I had betrayed him by not trusting him. Then again I was betraying him, all of them. They didn't know certain aspects of my life because I never let them in, and I would lie if the subject of my past ever came up. Just as I recalled why I my friend didn't know anything about my past a thought popped into my head.

'A lie is always a lie, and Chloe knew that. Her reason for warning me was because she and her lover use to be like me. They would lie to everyone so that the truth would never be known, and so that they wouldn't have to face their reality. Sure they were pulled apart unjustly, and that wasn't fair; when has life ever been fair ,though? Although they may have been victims, they too also hurt someone who was just as innocent as they. Amaya! The young master, if as truthful as he appeared to be, must have told her that his heart would never belong to her, and because she knew he was forced into this marriage she accepted it. That was how it was done then, so she had no choice. She also must have been told by him that his love, Chloe, was also pregnant. Amaya must have felt sad at the kind of marriage that she had agreed to, but the birth of her son excited her. She must have not cared much for her husband's affair because she was going to have a child that would be her personal sun. Yet, when he died she snapped! She must have thought it unfair that she, the victim, would be so unlucky, while they, her tormentors, be so joyful and lucky! She went crazy on the day of her child's death, which was March 21st!'

My heart began to pump extremely fast and my eyes became dilated. Today was March 21st! Today Amaya would be at her most powerful. If she had managed to almost hurt me when we first came here then today she would maybe have the power to kill someone! 'Oh no!' I thought.

Everyone was currently on their way, if not already in the mansion. I looked a head of me to see if I could still stop them from going in, but there was no one in front of me. They had all probably reached the mansion by now!

I quickly ran toward the mansion. As I was about to open the mansion's front door I heard Ayako scream and the rest of my friends call her name in worry.

'Please be okay, Ayako!' I thought loudly in my head as I opened the door.

As I walked in I saw that everyone seem to be pinned to the marble floor unable to move. I quickly searched for Ayako to see if anything bad had occurred to her, but what I saw brought tears to my eyes.

Ayako was curled up in a ball with a small pool of blood surrounding her. Beside her, though, was Amaya. She had a look of regret but also one of content.

"Stop it! Stop!" I screamed at her as I ran in front of Ayako.

"Ah, Mai, so glad that you could join us. I didn't want you missing all the fun," Amaya said with a twisted smile on her face.

"Yeah I'm here now. I'm the one you want, so stop hurting them!" I exclaimed.

"No, Mai, your wrong. Out of you eight I want to kill two of you, and make the rest confess what they've kept hidden for so long."

"No, I'll do anything just don't, please," I begged.

"Really Mai anything? Even revealing everything to your oblivious friends," Amaya asked.

I let out a soft hopeless whimper and nodded my head.

"Well then begin if you don't tell them everything they die," Amaya said with ease.

I nodded numbly once more and looked at my friends. They were all staring at me in confusion and worry. I wanted so much to keep them in the dark, and let them remain oblivious to my painful past. I felt tears fall down my cheeks as I began to tell them what Amaya wanted me to.

"My mother never died, and she never loved me. She thought…. She thought I was a monster, and she never once looked at me with love. If it wasn't for my father she would have killed me or abandoned me…He was the only one that protected me, but after his death … I no longer had his protection. I would be beaten and starved by that woman."

I heard Ayako and Yasuhara gasp, and I saw John, Monk, Lin, and Naru look at me with pity and even more worry.

"One day I got tiered of being treated worse than an animal, so I ran away. I became a street rat that no one took pity on or gave second glance at….. I lived like this for maybe about half a year before I gave up on life and just waited for my death to come…. As I waited, though, a little girl named Riko found me and befriended me. With each day that would pass she would bring me back to life little by little….It's actually because of her that I'm alive. She would bring me food and clothes and her friendship. One day she didn't come see me and I thought she probably didn't have the time or something, so I didn't think much of it. After a week of not being visited by her I decided to go to her house and see if anything had happened to her. I put on one of my cleanest shirt and cleaned myself up a bit so her parents wouldn't shoo me away. They didn't though instead they hugged me and cried as they did…she-she had gone missing….. After that day I spent all my time trying to find her…..I never found her, but the police did sh-sh-she was….God I can't do this. I don't want to remember!"

Amaya was suddenly in front of me with a glare on her face.

"Congratulations Mai you managed to kill your friends!" Amaya said with a smirk.

I heard John and Monk start to chant and pray, and I also heard Lin-san try to call his shiki but all was useless against Amaya.

Amaya started to wave her arms and just as she did I heard glass shatter. I turned to see what was broken only to find that all the windows in my view had shattered creating tiny sharp pieces of glass that were heading towards my friends.

"You're a murderer! You're even worse than the liars you hate with passion" I yelled at her.

As soon as the words left my lips all the glass stopped in mid-air and circled around us all.

"What?" Amaya shrieked at me.

"You also have something to confess don't you? What happened to Chloe's baby? What did you do?" I shrieked back at her.

She looked at me as if she was looking at me for the first time.

"It wasn't fair was it? You didn't love your husband, you loved someone else just like him didn't you? Yet unlike you he refused to let his love go. You envied that about him didn't you? You may have had no emotional attachment to your husband but you loved your unborn baby. You wanted to be a mother, and so when he told you that she also was expecting your envy of him increased a bit, yet you had no resentment against Chloe did? You just wanted to take your husband's happiness away from him."

I saw Amaya take a shaky breath before saying, "Yes, you're right we were thrown into a forced marriage yet he had the happiness I longed for. I didn't want him to feel happy. As for Chloe, I never hated her,but I was so out of my mind that I killed her child. My envy was so great that I forgot that I was taking another mother's happiness. I was only thinking of my misery. I'm so sorry."

"I've hated you for so long, and I've always wanted for you to go to hell for what you did, but right now I want to go to the light so I may see that child you killed. Amaya I truly do forgive you, and if destiny was different I would have been there to help you," said a familiar voice. Amaya and I turned to look at the person who had just spoken only to find Chloe standing there with a peaceful sad look on her face.

"Come with me to the light. I know you too can see it." Chloe serenely said to Amaya.

Amaya fell to her knees and began to sob heavily, as she did all the glass fell to the floor.

"Why! Why did you forgive me? I murdered your baby! I drowned him!" Amaya sobbed to Chloe.

"We also hurt you, too. You deserved to have been a blushing bride at your wedding. When my love told you about our relationship instead of causing a scandal you accepted it and left him alone. You were both only married, but all you ever did was live in the same house without any relations what so ever. You were an innocent soul turned bad because of loss. I'm forgiving you because I've already cursed you, hated you, and hurt you for too long, and I know that my baby will be in the light I can feel it. Your baby is there too, so come on." Chloe explained.

Amaya looked up at Chloe with a look that let me catch a glimpse at who the old loving and kind Amaya use to be.

I saw Amaya get up and walk over to Chloe. When she was close enough Chloe took her hand gently and began to start walking to their unseen light. Just as she was about to leave Amaya turned around and whispered, "I'm sorry and thank you."

I nodded at her with a small proud smile on my face and watched as she crossed over.

As soon as she was gone I noticed that everyone began to get up and quickly rush over to Ayako and my location.

'Ayako!' I thought with a cry.

I turned to see how she was doing only to find that she was a bit more pale and that there was now a big pool of blood around her.

"Ayako! Ayako!" I heard Monk desperately calling out.

Naru held Monk back from Ayako so he would go into hysteria. Monk fought a bit to get out of his grip but in the end gave up and just watched numbly as the team tried to find where her wound was.

When we found her wound I quickly told John and Yasuhara to take of their shirts and put pressure on the wound. Although it helped stop the bleeding a bit Ayako was no longer conscious, and that worried us all.

"I've called an ambulance, and they should be here in a few minutes!" Lin said to us while walking over to Monk and Naru.

I heard him say some words of comfort to Monk and put a consoling hand on his shoulder.

"Mai," I heard Masako whimper out as she tried to stop her self from breaking down. I looked over at her and said, "She'll be fine. I know she will!"

Masako nodded slightly, and I couldn't help but to pull her to me in a comforting embrace. We stayed like this until the ambulance arrived.

The paramedics said that she had lost a lot of blood, but they would make it to the hospital and she would be just fine.

We all watched as the ambulance took Ayako away before we, too, began to head toward the hospital.

**a/n: in this case we learnt half of Mai's past but we didn't learn why she viewed herself as a monster that's something you have to think about because she won't be confessing for while. **

**Please review! 3**

**Another thing how great was this chapter and was it entertaining? **


	5. Chapter 5 Acceptance part1

**A/n: we're finally on the next case! =D like always I hope you enjoy this story! {O.O}**

3rd P.O.V

"I don't know how to tell them. They'll hate me when I do!"

"Sho-chan they won't hate you. I've only met them once, but I can see that they will never hate you. Sure, they won't know how to understand you or at least they'll feel like they don't understand you, so it may get awkward, but Sho they will always love you."

"You think so?"

"Ha-ha, Yeah"

"What are you laughing about?"

"Sorry, it's just you always say that they deserve to know and that you don't want to hide it from them any longer, but here we are and you're already backing out of it. Ha-ha, it's a little amusing!"

"Oh shut up. I'm just worried."

"Hey I know you are, but just remember two things. One: you are strong and you will be able to do this."

"What's the other thing to remember?"

"Two: I love you unconditionally, Sho."

"I love you, too. That reminds me want to go some place tonight to celebrate your special day?"

"You know it, but please don't pick anywhere, too fancy."

"Don't worry I have it all planned out. It'll be perfect."

"Ooh can't wait. Hey I have to go or else I'll be late for work."

"M'kay, love you."

"Love you, too. Oh and don't forget just who said it first."

"Like I could, you remind me everyday!"

**A/n: Can't say hope you liked it because it's not much to go on. =P **

**Though, I'd like to apologize for taking to long to update, but this chapter is a promise that I haven't forgotten about this story. All I need is a couple of days to clear up my thoughts and see where I want this story to go. **

**That all said, what do you think about this passage? (you are aloud to ask questions put wtf if you don't get it, but just speculate What do you think will happen in this case?) **


	6. Chapter 6 Acceptance part2

**A/n**: **"being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've managed to look beyond the imperfections" -anonymous - well hope you enjoy ;)-**

Chapter 6

Sunday

"You said you wanted chips so there!" Monk-san said feverishly.

"No I said I wanted chocolate! You're the one that wanted chips!" Ayako shrieked.

"Gees, who knew old women, were so demanding, and ungrateful," Monk-san muttered under his breath.

Ayako gave him a glare that looked like it was meant to strangle him before haughtily saying, "Monk, dear, I don't even have one wrinkle on this precious face of mine. Have you seen yourself in a mirror lately?"

Monk gave Ayako one of his charming, winning smiles and said, "Ayako, dear, I know I'm good looking and all, but you don't have to remind me of it. I mean really it's hard to have a face like mine, everywhere I go women just can't seem to throw themselves at me. Really it's very exhausting!"

I saw a flash of jealousy pass through Ayako before she quickly covered it up with a look of disbelief and annoyance. I giggled a little before interrupting their flirt fest.

"Ayako-san, Monk-san you two argue like a married couple."

They both quickly turned to me before simultaneously yelling, "I would never marry him/her!"

I smirked and said, "Ah-Ah-Ah you know what they say 'you try to deny most the thing your heart truly desires'."

Ayako blushed at this and Monk moved away from Ayako slightly. I sighed. 'When are these two ever going to admit their feelings for each other?'

Before the moment could get anymore awkward a nurse came into the room.

"Hello Mrs. Matsuzaki, how are we doing today?" the nurse asked in a pleasant tone.

"Better. I'm pretty sure that the wound is healing nicely enough for me to leave," Ayako replied. The nurse laughed a bit and said, "Believe me I know what it's like to have to stay here and it sucks, but that wound did some internal damage. You'll have to put up with us a little longer."

"Damn. Well you can't blame me for trying," Ayako said dully.

"Yes I know, but on the bright side the doctor said that they were adding peach flavored jell-o to the menu!" the nursed said bubbly as she walked out the door.

"Mai please I'm begging you bring me some pizza or noodle soup! Please! I'm going to have a nervous breakdown if I see anymore of this hospital's food!" Ayako said dramatically.

Both Monk and I laughed loudly at Ayako's comment.

After another few minutes of chatting with Ayako and Monk I had to leave.

"Ayako-san, Monk-san I have to go to work now I'll come back later though, unless Naru decides to take a case, then I'll just call." I said to them.

"Okay Mai-chan. Thank you for coming, it just gets so lonely here!" Ayako said. I sweat dropped because I knew Monk-san was going to counter this comment.

As if on cue Monk-san retorted, "What? I'm here every day you old hag!"

"Old? Who are calling old?" Ayako yelled at him right before throwing a pillow at him. The pillow missed its target and instead hit the wall.

"Ha you missed, but I won't!" Monk-san exclaimed playfully as he picked up the pillow that as he put it, missed him.' I would have liked to see the outcome of this but when I looked over at the clock the only thought that went through my head was, 'shit, shit, shit! I'm supper late!'

I dashed out door and shouted my goodbyes over my shoulders.

When I got to the S.P.R. center I was panting heavily from my 'morning jog', and I noticed that Naru and Lin-san were with a potential client. Although Naru was intently listening to the man, I could see his eyes were slightly narrow and his mouth looked as if he were biting the inside of hi cheek. I knew now that this meant he was craving tea. I also knew that he was going to scold me for coming late. 'Note to self a tea craving Naru isn't a cup of sunshine. Ever,' I quoted to myself. I went over to the mini kitchen and began making some tea.

The tea was ready just as the potential client was leaving meaning more tea for Naru, and when there is more tea for Naru then he becomes a cup of sunshine, or at least his version of it.

I went over to where Lin-san stood and handed him his tea. He thanked me and took a seat on the couch. Then I went over to Naru and handed him a mug of tea. For a second I could see a slight look of glee and relief pass through his eyes before masking it with a look of calmness and collectiveness.

After Naru had taken a big sip of his tea he looked at me said, "You're late, Mai."

I sighed I knew what that sentence really meant, meaning I would have to say here two hours late organizing and cataloging old files.

"Okay I know the drills which files do you need me to catalog now," I asked in a defeated tone.

Naru raised an eyebrow at me and I could here Lin-san coughing a bit behind me.

"Naru I was under the impression that the files I assigned you to catalog were all done by you." Lin said in a scolding tone.

It took a few seconds before I realized what Naru had done.

"You made me do your work! You narcissistic as-" I started to yell, but was cut off by Naru.

"Mai who's the boss," Naru inquired.

I knew I was going to have to answer him, but I crossed my arms and huffed.

"Mai," Naru said expectantly.

I sighed knowing I had lost this round.

"You," I said.

"Right, meaning I give the orders around here," Naru said smugly.

"Alright 'boss' what do you want me to do," I asked in a mocking way.

"Well 'employee', I would like for you to call Hara-san, John, and Yasuhara. We have a case." Naru said.

Although I was still a little disturbed that Naru made me do his work, while he calmly sat in his office sipping tea, I was excided to go on a new case. The only thing I could hope for was that it wouldn't be as dangerous as the last.

Lin-san and Naru went back to their offices leaving me to do my job. I reached for the phone and began to dial the ever so familiar numbers.

**A/n: this chapter was to answer the questions:**

**Is Ayako okay and how did the team react to Mai's slight torture from the previous case, and it all went back to normal. =) Review!**


	7. Chapter 7 Acceptance part3

**A/n: it has been too long since I've reviewed I am so sorry! But here is a chapter for those that haven't given up on me. I would advise reading the previous chapter for those who are sitting there wondering what story this is lolz! Happens to me all the time. =D**

Chapter 7

Monday

My hands were cold to the touch, and I could see my breath in the moonlight.

Where was I?

I looked around and found I was in a snow field surrounded by trees.

"Hello?" I called out.

I receive no answer, as expected.

'_Mai,' _I heard a raspy voice whisper.

I took a shallow breath before madly looking around for the source of the voice.

'_Mai,'_ whispered the voice, with a bit more steel in tone. My heart beat faster. The voice felt familiar.

The presence of something behind me caught my attention, so I turned, quickly, around.

I took a slight startled step back when I saw a small hooded figure. I knew it was a child based on the height, and I felt like I knew them, but I wasn't certain who it was.

I turned my head slightly to the side to see if I could get a peek of the child's face, but my attempt was in vain.

I regained my posture and asked, "Who are you?"

Instead of a reply the figure took a step towards me.

Startled by the sudden movement, I stumbled backwards until falling back into the snowy ground.

As I was about to get up I looked up at the child. A gasp left my lips as I saw her face. It was sickly pale color, instead of a light tan one, and you could see blue veins, where there should have been none. Her eyes were black, not brown, and her face was clear of emotion, instead of adorned with a smile.

"Riko," I whispered.

She reached into her pocket and took out a dying rose. She held it in front of me expectantly. I stared at it for a moment before slowly reaching over to take it.

As I felt the cool, thorny, but smooth stem I felt a wave of emotions rush into me. Sadness, Anger, Desperation, and Fright; each one was strong but the one I felt the most was desperation. It burned stronger than the others, to a point where I felt as if it was going to suffocate me.

I was aware of a few tears falling from my eyes. I wanted to brush them off but I was frozen to my spot. I couldn't move, as if I had forgotten how to.

Seconds, which for me seemed like an eternity, passed, and I was able to move when I saw her turn and slowly trudge away.

I shakily began to get up until I was fully standing up straight.

"Wait! Riko, Wait!" I called out to her.

I saw her stop. I was unsure of what she was going to do or what would happen next, but I suddenly got an eerie feeling.

She turned around slowly, and as she did her hood slid off. I cringed in horror at what I saw. Her hair was wet but not from water, but from blood. All the blood came from wounds on the side of her head.

She opened her mouth bit-by-bit. I thought she was going to say something; instead she let out a piercing screech. Her screech was so loud I fell to my knees and attempted to cover my ears with my hands, but it wouldn't work. I could feel the damage it was causing me. It felt as if someone had taken as knife and stabbed my temple. After a while, the pain was overwhelming and I screamed, too.

"Mai!"

I bolted up in my seat.

I was in a car, Lin-san's van.

"You're fine Mai. Breathe," Lin said.

I did as he told me, and the world began to make sense again. I noticed my throat felt raw as if I had been yelling. As I cleared my throat I noticed I had something in my clenched hand. I looked down. I had a feeling of what it was, but I was too afraid to look.

"Lin, can you take this?" I told him in a weak voice.

Lin gently grabbed my hand and I looked away a he unclenched my hand. What he did with the item, I don't know, nor did I care at the moment.

"I'll notify Naru that we'll arrive tomorrow for the new case," Lin said. I turned to him so he could see my confused expression.

"Why? Can't we still catch up to them?" I asked as I looked to the slightly busy interstate.

"You began whimpering in your sleep three hours ago. I called out to you but you wouldn't respond. When you started to scream I pulled over. I shook you many times, even tried putting the radio on, but you were stuck in your dream. Naru use to have these dreams before, so I suspect you're extremely thirsty. We also have to get your ear looked at," Lin explained.

It took awhile for everything he had just said to sink in, but when it did the first thing I asked was, "What's wrong with my ear?"

Lin pulled out a tissue from his glove compartment and lightly dabbed it on my ear. When he held it up for me to see I saw blood.

My eyes widened for a second and I began to remember my nightmare all over again.

"We should begin to head toward the hospital," I told Lin in an attempt to get my mind off of my nightmare.

Lin didn't say anything, which I was thankful for, and began to drive looking for the nearest exit ramp.

"Here you go Taniyama-san. These should help for the insomnia. Only drink two at most, though one should be enough," the nurse said, all the while ogling Lin-san. I felt a vein twitch. 'Is she sure she's even giving me the right pills! She hasn't even seen them!' I exclaimed in my head.

"So what's your name?" the blushing nurse asked Lin.

He didn't respond. I could see a hurt look on the nurse's face. 'Lin-san you could at least be polite,' I thought to myself.

Before the nurse could be further offended or Lin further annoyed, I held the bottle up to the nurses face.

"So are there any side effects that come with these?" I asked curiously. I saw her eyes go a bit wide before lightly snatching the pills swiftly out of my hand. She gave me the most adoring smile before saying, "I'll be right back, Miss Taniyama-san."

I grinned before politely bowing. She left quickly. As she left I realized what had happed.

"I knew she was giving me the wrong pills!" I exclaimed.

I saw Lin stifle a snicker. I playfully glared at him.

"It's not funny! I could have… well… Hmm? Well something bad could have happened?" I told him sourly.

The nurse came back with, as predicted, a different bottle of pills. "One for regular nights. Two for unbearable ones. You can get a refill in any of our hospitals or pharmacies," she said kindly.

I nodded and thanked her before Lin and I went to pay for the medication.

"Would you like to eat first or find a motel first," Lin-san said as we got into the van.

"I'm quite hungry," I told him politely. He nodded and began to drive. A random thought came to mind as he drove.

"Lin-san, why don't you ever date?" I asked him timidly. He visibly stiffened. I furrowed my eye brows.

"I don't see how that concerns you," he gritted out.

I was a bit taken back by this, but I didn't want to say anything of it. I turned to look at my lap.

"Sorry, Lin-san. It wasn't my place," I apologized.

He didn't answer me. He just began to drive; a stern expression on his face. 'Hmm, interesting I wonder what happened to the woman that made him become like this?' I thought to myself.

"What do want to eat?" Lin-san said stoically. I cringed at the lack of emotion behind his words.

"What ever you're in the mood for," I replied gently.

He ended up pulling up to a side-walk restaurant. The tent was red and a bit worn, but the smell coming from it was marvelous. Because of the warm climate, the smell of the little booth was intensified making my mouth water.

"Welcome just picks a table and I'll be there in a second," an old woman kindly said to us. She looked tired and in her eyes I sad sadness. As she brushed past us I knew why.

In my mind I saw the body of a young handsome man all beaten and bruised beyond recognition. Then I saw a man in handcuffs. This man was her husband.

I swallowed my saliva down in order to push down the small gasp of sorrow that threatened to come out. I felt Lin move beside me, so I followed him quickly. We sat down at a small table that was far from the place the woman used as her kitchen.

As she said she came to us with her note pad ready to jot down whatever we ordered. For some reason I couldn't look her in the eye without thinking of her son. This bothered me. I wasn't supposed to know what was causing her pain. I was supposed to be oblivious to the fact that she was sad.

'_That's right Mai your power is coming back,' _I voice chuckled from beside me. I quickly glanced to my left. As expected there was no one there. 'Riko, why are you doing this,' I thought.

"Mai-san," Lin said pulling me out of my thoughts.

I looked up and saw both the old woman and Lin looking at me with worried and curious expressions.

I changed my look of fright and confusion to that of meek and apologetic one.

"Sorry. I spaced out. My mind was trying to think of what to eat without depleting my friend's money. It's just everything looks so good. What do you recommend?" I asked the old woman with a charming smile.

She laughed at my antics.

"I knew someone who had your appetite. The only thing that would quench his hunger was the miso soup with a side of sour pickles," the old woman replied with a smile. I instantly knew who she was talking about.

"Well I'm sure he was a smart man, then. Thank you, I would very much like to try it," I told her kindly. She smiled at my comment and went away.

"Mai?" Lin asked. I turned to look at him. He had question in his eyes.

I sighed.

"Lin there's something I should tell you," I said. He gestured for me to continue.

"When I was younger I had more power. My dreams wouldn't be the only way I could connect with the supernatural. In fact from the moment I was born I could see ghosts. They would talk to me, and I would talk back. For some time they were the only friends I had, until Riko found me. The more I communicated with them the more my powers would start to manifest themselves. It came to a point where I could touch any object or person and see the history behind it or them, and I could command spirits to do anything. I rarely ever did. Only if they were a danger to people, would I ever do that. One day they all stopped. It happened a few weeks after Riko's murderer had been found. I decided to turn things around and start a decent life, and try to forget. But just now, I felt them. That woman didn't even touch me, and I still saw what troubled her. Lin I'm scared. Bad things can happen, and I don't want to endanger Naru or you guys," I confessed.

Lin's face was unreadable, and I became nervous. 'What if he tells Naru to fire me?' I exclaimed.

"Bad things such as what you experienced in the car?" he inquired.

My expression turned to shock.

"I hadn't really thought much on that, but yes. I know you've heard from the others that I haven't really had a decent sleep in weeks. The cause for this, I think, is that soon they'll come back to me," I whispered.

'What if Naru thinks this is too much to handle?' I worried myself.

"Mai, I thought coming to Japan was one of the worst ideas Naru had ever had, but as I got to know all of you, my opinion changed. We've gone through so much that I no longer see you all as my coworkers, but as my friends. That, if you as, Naru is a great feat to accomplish. I know I can speak for everyone when I say that whatever happens, we're here for you," Lin said with a confident tone.

I took his comment to heart. Lin wasn't someone to comfort a person, nor have a heart to heart conversation.

Tears welled in my eyes, but I didn't let them fall. Instead I gave him a true smile. There weren't any words to describe how much happiness and gratitude I felt in my heart.

'_Don't think this moment of happiness will last long,_' the voice of Riko said.

I felt true fear, but I didn't want to alarm Lin, so I continued to smile.

A few seconds later the old woman came back with our orders. I quickly took a spoon full of my soup. It was delicious the miso gave the whole broth an extra flavor kick that couldn't be described, and the vegetables were the right texture.

"This is delicious, ma'am!" I exclaimed.

"I'm glad. Try the pickles I make them myself," she said.

I did as she suggested and she was right they were delicious. They weren't the kinds that were factory made.

"They're delicious, but I suspect you have a family secret that helps," I told her.

She laughed and nodded.

After we had eaten and paid for our food, I made sure to give her a good tip. As I left I wished I could have done something more for the grieving mother, but we had a case to solve and I would need plenty of sleep if I didn't want to slack off on the job; that is if my nightmares would ease up and let me.

Lin paid for two rooms and bid me goodnight. I did the same, but deep down I was afraid to be by myself.

The room was simple and thankfully clean. There was a small lamp on the bed side stand, along with a few books, and in front of the bed a TV. The bed sheets were an unsurprising white, but there was also a green quilt that gave it color and comfort. I sighed one last time before setting down my bag filled with my clothes and toiletries. I went over to TV and grabbed the remote. I turned it on to and interesting channel, and turned up the volume. That way the room wouldn't feel so empty and ominous, as I got read for bed.

When I got to the bathroom I noticed it was thankfully clean. I used this opportunity to take a relaxing shower.

As the water fell on my body I thought back to my dream. 'Riko,' I thought. Why was she, for lack of better words, haunting me? What was this about? Why was she even in limbo? After she had died I tried looking for her ghost, but I didn't find it. I assumed she had crossed over. I was sure of it, but obviously something went wrong.

I felt the water grow cold, so I decided to end my shower. I grabbed my towel and began to dry myself, but as I did something told me to look at the mirror. It was fogged up, so I tried to clear it as I did a dark figure appeared behind me. It had no face, but there were eyes. They looked dead and glassy. I gasped, but I didn't turn around I was frozen in place.

Suddenly random images were played in my mind; only as I kept watching they weren't so random. They were all focused on one thing, the death of a woman. Her death had been gruesome, and had not been committed by a human, but by the evil souls of the dead. They made her feel as is she was drowning and at the same time on fire. They cut her with their unkempt long nails. They whispered words of malice and hate in her ear. She died scared and in pain. Before she died though she glared and gave one last piercing scream of pain.

I was no longer glue to my place, and I found myself turning around swiftly, but there wasn't anything there anymore.

"Kotone," I gasped out. She was Riko's aunt and murderer. She was also the first fatal victim of my powers. 'What's happening to me?' I asked myself.

I stood still in front of the mirror for a few seconds until I decided to give up on trying to find an answer. I quickly got dressed. I got my prescription medicine and popped two pills. I wished that the pills would just knock me out as I slipped under the covers. Hopefully sleep would claim me soon.

**A/n: again, I'm so sorry that I forgot about this story. I do promise there will be more. Thank you to all the people that have review and put my story on alert. It's really helped me to think about what I want to do with this story, and I've decided to not abandon ship. **

**Love=Reviews =D **


	8. Chapter 8 Acceptance part4

**a/n; Hope you like! =D**

Tuesday

My eyes slowly began to close. The world was starting to fade and all the sounds of people or cars walking by outside were beginning to become distorted. Until, I heard slight tapping that turned out to be knocking.

'That better be next door next door!' I groaned in my head.

"Mai, it's time to go." I heard Lin's muffled voice say. I groaned loudly.

'It's already morning? Great. Okay Mai, we can do this girl. Just tackle today and hopefully we can get some sleep tonight,' I told my self, trying, but failing to give myself a pep talk. I took two deep breaths and stretched my arms out, before getting out of bed and rushing to put on my clothes.

"Coming Lin-san," I yelled as I walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth. As I did so I looked in the mirror hesitantly, slightly remembering yesterday's events. Instead of the menacing entity, I found something that scared me even more. The small blood vessels in my eyes were redder than normal, and I had dark circles that made me look like part of the dead. My hair also seemed to be working with me, though. Thank the heavens for that!

I packed up pretty quickly and in the process managed to fall inches from the door. I cursed as I felt pain in my wrist and arm, as I had landed on them.

"Mai-san, is everything alright?" Lin asked. Wait; was that amusement in his voice?

"Uh, yeah, no everything is fine. I accidentally dropped my bag," I called out convincingly.

"Okay," he responded, unconvinced.

I sighed and got up. I checked over my arm and wrist to check if it was okay. My arm was slightly red, while my wrist seemed to have a forming bruise. I shrugged in didn't look too bad.

I grabbed my bag and headed out. I found Lin leaning against the door with his gaze observing passers-by.

"What time is it?" I asked.

He gave me a polite smile and nod before looking at his watch.

"It's seven thirty. If we leave now we'll get to the house by eleven," he said to me.

"Has Naru called?"

"Yes, the team has gotten everything set up, and headquarters is in the basement. They haven't gotten any activity except for when the son of the family took them to his room," he answered.

"What happened? Is everyone fine?" I asked; worry starting to seep into my voice.

Lin nodded his head before answering, "Yes, everyone was left unscratched. It seems that the room began to shake violently, and small objects and paper began to fly about the room. This continued until it settled on the floor around a cell phone, and bike helmet. He sent us some pictures."

He pulled out his phone and went to his pictures. I noticed that the only picture he had were the three Naru had sent him and three others that were blocked from the public eye.

'Strange. I wonder what he has on them,' I thought. He handed me the phone and saw that Lin's explanation was head on. Things were scattered everywhere around the cell phone and motorcycle helmet. It almost looked like a hypnotizing swirl.

"Also, Yasuhara has strangely been the only that the ghost make appearances around. We know that the spirit is male, but he can't seem to communicate with anyone. Hara-san has tried but it's like he's on mute. Instead he'll carve messages into the wall," Lin explained.

This ghost was interesting. Nobody could hear him, no matter how hard he tried to communicate. Also Yasuhara seemed to be who this ghost was comfortable with. Why? 'Well this is certainly going to be an interesting case,' I thought to myself.

"What do the messages say, Lin?" I asked.

I could tell he was already trying to figure out their meaning because his face was one of determination and question.

"They all said, 'Tell them.' Short and simple, I feel the spirit is having problems communicating because he doesn't have a vendetta to settle. He seems, for lack of better words, good," Lin finally responded.

"Well as long as he's not trying to kill us and bathe in our blood, or kill us with glass shards unless we spill all our secrets, right?" I joke, making reference to the Urado case and the Baby Blues case, our previous case.

He gave me a week grin and we began to the van. As we got in Lin handed me two bananas and a bottle of water.

"It'll not only make you feel less hungry, but make you more awake," he said as he too began to eat his.

"Thank you," I said.

It was ten thirty, and we were really close to the house when Lin broke the silence of the ride.

"Did you sleep well?" Lin said.

"You mean did the pills work? No they didn't. That's why my face looks tired," I responded.

I saw him give a worried look.

"It's fine. I'm fine, really. It's just… well you know," I assured him and at the same time worried him.

"When this case is over we're going to have to tell the team, especially Naru," he said.

I sighed, but nodded reluctantly. I was still afraid of what their reactions would be. I mean my powers were the whole reason I became homeless at one point, but then again my so called mother wasn't exactly loving or tolerant, at all.

"We're there," Lin told me pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked up and saw a beautiful white building, with a balcony on top. What made this house beautiful were the flowers and plants that surrounded it. Lush green vines crawled up the right side of it, and flowers of varied color surrounded the yard and also lined up the front walk way.

I saw the door open and saw the team, which today consisted of only Naru, Yasuhara, Masako, and John. I smiled at them, and got out of the van.

"Mai you look very tiered, are you all right?" Masako asked with concern. The rest looked at me, waiting for an explanation.

I grinned sheepishly.

"I didn't get any sleep last night," I answered.

Yasuhara was the first to burst out laughing. John grinned, and Masako chuckled into her sleeve. Naru glared at Lin.

"What?" Naru gritted out. It took me a while to snap out of my confusion and realize what they were implying.

"Oh god! No not like that! What I meant was that I couldn't fall asleep because of my slight insomnia, even with the pills we got yesterday," I hurried to explain. I felt my cheeks getting redder.

This time John, Masako, Yasuhara, and Lin burst out laughing at the situation. Naru was not amused, but he was no longer glaring. In fact he kind of looked embarrassed. I gave a nervous laugh.

"Ha-ha-ha, Naru was jealous! Man you should have seen your face!" Yasuhara said between laughs. I saw Masako stop laughing. This time it was her that was not amused. I gulped nervously.

"Back to work people. Lin, Mai I'll introduce you to the family," Naru said coolly, not missing a beat. He turned to leave, expecting us to follow.

I hid my blush by lowering my head and followed close behind. Yasuhara and John were still laughing.

'Thank the heavens Monk and Ayako aren't here. I'd never live this down,' I exclaimed silently.

"Mai, Lin, meet Mr. and Mrs. Kojima and their son Sho Kojima," Naru said in a stoic tone as he gestured to the three other people in the room. Both Lin and bowed to them, and they followed in suit. The woman was short and thin. Her hair was raven black, and it was pinned very nicely up. She had little make-up on, which made her skin look like it had a nice glow to it. Although she was in her late forties, she looked like she was really in her late thirties. Her husband surprisingly wasn't frowning he was smiling very warmly at us. He wore glasses and had his hair in what looked to be a slight comb over. He didn't have sharp features, either. Instead his face was soft and kind.

'I'd love to get their love story,' my girlish side thought.

The son on the other had most of his mother's features, all the while looking very masculine. His looks could rival those of Naru.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," I told them cheerfully. They all nodded and grinned.

"Have you had breakfast dear?" Mrs. Kojima asked.

"Yes, we ate some bananas on the way here. It's fine," I responded kindly.

"That isn't breakfast young one. That's called a snack. Izumi here masks the best pancakes and soup for breakfast," Mr. Kojima said all the while making his wife blush.

She laughed before saying, "He's just trying to flatter me. They may not the best but they are pretty good now aren't they Sho?"

Sho chuckled at his parent's antics before nodding his head.

"Let's head to the kitchen. If your team is hungry, there is plenty for everyone. Mom makes enough for an army some times," Sho said kindly.

I nodded as we all followed her to the kitchen. Lin left to get Masako, Yasu, and John.

As I sat down at the table with Naru, Mr. Kojima, and his Sho, I felt eyes on me. I looked around to see who was staring and found it to be Naru.

I looked up at him questioningly, since he was sitting beside me.

"Yes, Naru?" I asked him.

"I will not have you sleeping on the job. After breakfast you're going to head quarters for a nap. You look terrible," Naru said casually, which was also flatly.

My eyes narrowed and I glared at him. Leave it to Naru to make a girl feel like a million bucks.

"Gee, I'm glad I look oh-so-attractive, you narcissistic as-" I was cut of from saying the rest when the team walked in. I saw Naru smirk triumphantly. I scoffed at him.

"Breakfast is ready!" Mrs. Kojima sang as she walked through the door. In her hands she had a tray piled with pancakes and bowls of soup. Everyone looked exited to eat.

Breakfast was excellent, which proved Mr. Kojima's words of flattery to be true. Even Naru enjoyed it, mainly because Mrs. Kojima brought out a huge kettle of tea. After we were all done we all went down to headquarters and we began to monitor the cameras, well everyone besides me. Naru made sure my head was glued to the pillow. I even had the handprint on my forehead to prove it.

I thankfully fell asleep to the sound of Lin typing away on his computer and Yasuhara chatting with John.

Everything was pitch black for some time before it turned an illuminating white. I opened my eyes and found that I was on my spiritual plane. Naru was looking down at me with a smile. I smiled back. I had missed seeing his happy face.

"I haven't been here a while, have I?" I told him.

He nodded as he pulled me up to my feet.

"Mai, you are in danger," Naru said. My eyes widened at this.

"But Lin said the spirit here wasn't bad," I told him, unaware of what he was talking about.

"He's not who I'm talking about. I'm talking about Kotone. She's managed to get past my defenses. She was here yesterday," Naru said in worry.

I gasped at this new piece of information. It took some time for me to find my voice again. "How do you know about her?"

He sighed and looked down, and then back to me.

"Nothing is a secret after death Mai. Except for those of us that don't want to know," he told me softly.

"Th-that… that means you know how she died?" I asked.

He nodded.

"She wasn't in her right mind when she committed the murder, Mai. You know that now, but she didn't deserve how she died," he told me sadly.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. 'I don't want to be here anymore! I need to wake up. Wake up, Mai. Wake up!' I shouted to myself.

Tears welled up in my eyes and broke through my barrier. I tried to stop them, but the more I tried the more they fell.

"_I'm sorry_. I'm sorry. **I'M SORRY**!" I whispered, which turned to a scream.

He was about to put his hand on my shoulder, but I sprinted away. I heard him call my name, but I was ready to wake up.

My head shot up from my pillow fast enough to cause me to become dizzy. When I came to my senses I saw Yasuhara, John, and Naru around me. Lin and Masako were probably checking the cameras and temperature readings.

"Mai are you okay?" John's strange accented voice reached my ears. My face mirrored confusion.

"You're crying," Yasuhara said softly as he began to wipe my tears. My eyes became slightly wide as his fingers showed moisture on them. Indeed, I had been crying.

"I'm sorry," I said to them.

"For what, silly girl. You don't have to apologize for a bad dream," John said softly.

I gave them all a weak smile. That had nod been the reason for my apology, not even close; I was sorry for lying to them and for the future heartbreak I would cause them all when they found out.

After a few moments of comfort I decided to move to a different subject.

"So anything new?" I asked. The moment I said that, I saw the lights begin to flicker on and of, and the house began to shake.

"Mai, you jinxed it!" Yasuhara and John shouted simultaneously over the rumbling.

"Look at camera four," Naru said pointing to one of the screens. We all looked. Sho was there, he didn't seem scared thought, which was strange considering the spirit was in the room with him. Maybe he just couldn't see the spirit.

The lights finally cut completely off and the shaking stopped. I saw Lin and Masako rushing down to base on one of the cameras, but I hardly paid them any attention. Right now our main focus was on Sho and his interaction with the spirit.

The spirit was indeed male. He wore a red and white checkered scarf atop his black shirt and jacket. His jeans were red, and he wore biker boots. For what seemed hours they just stood there looking at each other. No one moved and no one spoke.

Finally the spirit began to move toward Sho. He didn't freak out, though. In fact he seemed to move in closer, too.

The spirit touched the side of Sho's face in a loving manner. He smiled at Sho before saying, "It's okay. Don't be afraid anymore. The only thing I want is for you to have peace of mind. The next move is yours Sho."

Sho was about to respond when just as suddenly as he appeared, he disappeared. The lights turned back on and everything went back to normal. I noticed Lin and Masako were back. They too had seen the event.

"Well, we now know that the spirit isn't haunting the parents, but the son. They were close, too," Naru said to the whole group. We all simply nodded in response.

"Lin check for any resent motorcycle accidents that have happened in this district. See if Sho is mentioned in any of them. Mai I would like you to interview Sho. I want to get his side of the story. Hara-san inform the Kojimas of what transpired here and see if they would like to add any input to help us figure out who this spirit is. John, Yasuhara both of you keep monitoring the screens. I'll be back later," Naru told us.

We all nodded. I was about to leave when I saw that Yasuhara was still looking at the screen. He seemed deep in thought.

"Yasu is something wrong?" I asked him. He quickly looked away from the screen, serious expression now replaced by a smile.

"Looks like I zoned out for a while he-he," he said sheepishly.

I smiled and nodded. 'Strange,' I thought.

I left the room to look for Sho, who was still in his room. When I entered I saw that he was still sitting with his back turned to his desk. He was still looking at where the spirit had been. 'They were lovers,' I concluded. The way his eyes longed for the spirit to come back, and the way he savored the spirits caresses, was proof enough. I suddenly started to connect the pieces. The spirit wanted him to tell his parents of his preference, but Sho was afraid of rejection. The spirit felt Sho's uneasiness and sadness of having to hide the truth, so he came back. When Sho finally had the courage to tell the people he most loved then, the spirit would cross over. My only question was why was Yasuhara so affected?

"You know who this ghost is," I stated.

He looked over at me dully, and nodded his head.

"Let's go get some ice cream, hum? I saw a vendor's stand near the park, on the way in," I said.

He got up reluctantly and followed me out. We decided that walking, and getting some fresh air was best. We walked to the stand in silence.

"I was waiting for his call, the day he died. We were going out to celebrate my apprenticeship at the law firm, but instead I got a call that he was in the hospital. It turned out he had died before the ambulance could get there. I tried reaching his family, but they said they didn't care if he was dead or not," he said bitterly as we sat on a bench eating our ice cream. I frowned. Although I wasn't oblivious to parents that hate their children, I felt anger. The spirit was cast away because he was homosexual, and I was cast away for demonic powers, as my mother had once said. The spirit didn't deserve that, nobody did.

"What was his name?" I asked softly.

"His name was Yamato," Sho said with a small smile.

"When I first met him we hated each other. We were like rivals. Whatever I could do well, he would do better. We had a competition for everything. One day, though, I felt attraction for him. That's when I first knew that my preferences where not normal. I tried to stop myself, but with each passing day I felt stronger for him. When he confessed his feelings I was… words can't describe how happy I felt," Sho continued.

I nodded and smiled sadly. 'How can two people that love each other so much be separated so cruelly?' I thought.

"I love him so much. Why'd he have to go?" Sho said sorrowfully.

"We like to believe that we control our own destiny because it makes us seem more powerful than we really are, but fate exists, and sometimes it has a different path in mind for us. It's harsh, but that's really the best way I can explain this," I told him.

We sat quietly for a few more minute before I said, "Your mind and your heart are telling you to do two different things, aren't they? Your heart says be the person you want to be, but your mind is telling you to hide who you truly are. Based on statistics, your mind worries that you'll become part of the percentage that you don't want to be cast into."

"I'm afraid. I just don't want to disappoint them," Sho said.

"Fear is why your mind looks at statistics instead of just going along with the heart. You can never get rid of it though. Instead you must embrace it," I told him as I got up from the bench.

"The next move is yours, Sho," I said quoting Yamato. I began to leave. Sho need some time to think.

"Yasuhara," I said as I walked through the door. He and John smiled at me.

"Hello, Mai!" they both said at the same time. 'How do they manage to always do that?' I exclaimed to myself.

"Can we talk?" I asked him in a timid voice. He nodded and walked over to me.

"Let go take a walk outside. I feel like some fresh air."

As we were a bit far from the house I turned to Yasuhara. When I looked into his eyes I saw knowing.

"So you know, then?" Yasu stated. I nodded my head. He looked at me questioningly.

"Yasu we all have secrets, as our last case proved it. I just want to say that I don't think of you with disgust or hate. I can't. To me Yasuhara is Yasuhara, plain and simple. The reason I want to talk to you is because I feel that you and Sho have the same problem. You're afraid of losing people that are dear to you just because you feel different, but I want you to know that you're worrying for no reason. You'll always have us," I said gently.

I felt warm arms embrace me in a sudden hug. I was a bit startled at first, but after the shock wore off, I hugged back. We stayed like that for a moment until he pulled back.

"Thank you," Yasu said.

"Mm," I responded.

We both smiled and walked back to the house. What awaited us was sure a surprise.

Everyone was in the living room. Naru was leaned up against the wall, looking as if he were asleep. Lin was sitting on the love seat typing away on his computer; his expression calm and peaceful. Masako had her head cocked to one side as if she had missed a memo. John on the other hand had a small smile on his face.

In the middle of the living room were Sho and his parents. He had his head bowed in embarrassment, while his mother raved on about how everyone had their preferences, and how he would always be their little boy with cute dippers. Mr. Kojima on the other had had a supportive had on his son's shoulder; he bore an amused grin at his wife's words.

While this all transpired Yamato appeared, everyone stopped what they were doing, and looked to him. He bore a broad smile on his face before waving bye to Sho. Sho looked over at his lover with a smile, trying to remember his every feature.

"I love you," Sho said.

Yamato nodded knowingly before chuckling out, "Just don't forget who said it first."

Yamato laughed lightly. Yamato began to disappear until he was no more. He had crossed over.

I saw Mrs. Kojima softly crying at her son's misfortunate lover, and Mr. Kojima trying to comfort his wife. Sho looked sad, but at peace. I gave a small grin at this. He chose to stop hiding, and had the courage to be himself. In the end that's what Yamato wanted.

Naru bowed before them before leaving the room. We all followed his example. This case was solved.

More a waited us, though. Could we handle the pain and rise up together? I would like to think so, but then again, I wasn't a psychic.

**a/n: Review! Next case coming soon=D**


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